Category: Small Business

Media Rerun: Murfreesboro’s Record Store

Murfreesboro’s best place for games, music and more

Someone once said you can’t go home again, but clearly, they had never been to Murfreesboro’s community cornerstone, Media Rerun: Murfreesboro’s Record Store.

Operated by John Judkins, Media Rerun is the spot for finding gems in an unlikely location, whether it’s a video game, movie, or musical instrument. Media Rerun makes it easy for kids to find a bargain while giving adults an opportunity to rediscover their childhood.

Judkins’ passion for providing a unique and special experience to everyone who walks into the store is clear, and he enjoys meeting customers’ needs, interests, and price points.

“Good deals, cutting prices and things, we’re really flexible when it comes to prices in here. If someone comes in and the price is $11.06 and all they have is a $10 bill, $10 it is. That makes them happy, That’s a $1.06 that they don’t have to do to the car and get change. So just really helping the customer is my most favorite thing that I like to do. “

Everyone knows that Nashville is a booming, creative city, and Judkins will add Murfreesboro to that development as well.

“So in my mind, we’ve got the people, we’ve got the money, we’ve definitely got the musicians in this town, we’ve got the excitement and entertainment, let’s try to focus on that and give that to more people in this city because it deserves it.”

In Judkin’s hands, Murfreesboro will be just like the treasures found at Media Rerun, which, will continue to evolve and change just like its hometown.

“My main goal would be to expand this unique variety of new and used items and also start introducing entertainment into it, whether it’s live music or movies nights, also showcasing local artists along with local bands and even local brewers, craft beers. My goal is really just to make what this is a bigger part of Murfreesboro. I want to get involved in fundraising and nonprofit stuff, just become a community person while at the same time being kind of place to go to for unique, weird, cool things, a good place to hang out and spend an evening… Eventually, we want to purchase a building that we can do what we want to with it and continue to make Murfreesboro kind of a cool, weird place to be.”

Drone Photography for Realtors

When showing clients their prospective dream homes, the sky has always been the limit…until now! Bryan Huff of Huffoto provides high-quality drone photography and videography to give prospective buyers a bird’s eye view of their potential home and neighborhood. Huff is a professionally trained FAA licensed drone pilot.

Huff has always had a passion for photography, and his entrepreneurial spirit comes from his family. “Photography is a passion of mine that I have pursued for about ten years now. I was raised in an entrepreneurial family, so I guess it’s in my blood.”

Huff is a man of many talents. He does wedding photography on the ground as well as his work in the sky, rain or shine. “We have shot several events in the rain due to there being no plan B, but we have walked away with great images because of it.”

And Huff embraces technology in both photography and as a means of connecting with others. “[We offer] drone photography and videography as well as studio and on location photography with intricate lighting. Our lighting techniques set us apart from the competition. We are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Busker, Google Hangouts, Snapchat, and you can find us at www.huffoto.com or in the App store of your choice. Just search Huffoto.”

For Huff, challenges while on a job are what create opportunities for something special. View his work here or download the Huffoto Weddings app.

“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.” -Maya Angelo

Non- Profit Organizations that shine!

Nashville Rescue Mission – Nashville Rescue Mission is a Christ-centered community dedicated to providing hope for today, tomorrow and eternity to the hungry, homeless and hurting in Middle Tennessee.

Hands on Nashville – Hands On Nashville meets community needs through volunteerism. It all started with one Nashvillian’s desire to find meaningful ways for people to volunteer back in 1991. Read more about our founding here.

YMCA of Middle TN – At the Y, strengthening community is our cause. Every day, we work side-by-side with our neighbors to make sure that everyone, regardless of age, income or background, has the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive.

Thistle Farms – Thistle Farms is a sanctuary for healing for women survivors of abuse, addiction, trafficking, and prostitution. We are a community of survivors, advocates, employees, interns, volunteers, and friends from all across the world. We are young and old, women and men. We want to change a culture that still allows human beings to be bought and sold. We believe that in the end, love is the strongest force for change in the world.

What is Pre-Parental Counseling?

Thinking about starting a family? Pre-parental counseling helps ease the transition for couples as they navigate the stages of pregnancy and postpartum.

Counseling is an effective tool that more and more Americans are seeking, from families to couples to individuals. Here in Middle Tennessee, Emily Pardy of Ready Nest Counseling provides a unique form of counseling that has long been missing in the therapy field- counseling for those seeking to become parents, (pre-parental counseling).

Pardy discovered the absence of this kind of counseling through personal experience. “Several years ago, my husband and I were trying to decide if we were ready to start a family. We sought help from the therapist who had walked us through pre-marital counseling, and when we approached him with the idea for giving us “pre-parental counseling” he was perplexed! He didn’t have any curriculum or resources to offer us, but he was willing to sit down with us and discuss our expectations of parenthood and how we felt it would affect our relationship.”

An Investment in Your Relationship

Through hard work Pardy and her husband feathered their proverbial nest using the tools they picked up from their counseling. “When we finally got pregnant and had our first daughter, it immediately became evident to us what a gift that investment had been in our relationship.”

And with the recognition of the gift that counseling had given them, a light bulb went off for Pardy-others could benefit from this type of work. “As our friends started to become parents as well, we quickly learned we were far from alone in our challenges. I had always valued my experience with therapy as a client; but, when I started to share my story with other parents it truly became a passion of mine to help ease this transition for couples as they navigated the stages of pregnancyand postpartum. After I had my second daughter, I wrote my first book, For All Maternity about my own journey into motherhood. Then, I decided to go back to school and get my Masters in Marriage & Family Therapy to gain the education necessary to turn my passion into a profession..”

Focusing on Couples as a Whole

Pardy launched Ready Nest Counseling to work with families in, as she puts it, “in such a tender phase of life.” From conceptionto pregnancy to postpartum to infertility, Pardy seeks to help families in all stages of growth and while focusing on couples as a whole to ensure that both women and men get what they need from counseling.

“Trying for a baby, childbirth, and infertility are all major milestones that affect almost every aspect of a couple’s life together. While society tends to feminize this experience, Ready Nest Counseling focuses on the entire system that is affected. My goal is to offer couples preventative help as early as possible and provide them with the resources they need to integrate care throughout the entire phase. Ready Nest Counseling is at the forefront of integrating care with a couple’s emotional and relational wellness in mind.”

When You Get Help, You Also Give Help

Babies are more than just a focus in Pardy’s work in the office; she also implements a charitable component to her work to help newborns in need. “Ready Nest Counseling is dedicated to donating a portion of all session fees to the March of Dimes. The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies. When you get help, you also give help!”

To get your own nest prepared, please visit Rest Nest Counseling’s website and be sure to check out Emily Pardy’s blog.

Why do I need a bookkeeper? I thought they were dead.

Due to accounting software and firms, gone are the days of bookkeeping. Or are they?

Meet Michael Levy, owner and senior bookkeeper at Bean Counter 4 Hire. His firm provides cloud accounting and business support to small businesses and self-employed individuals. Michael takes financial fears and, through compassion and counseling, whips businesses into shape.

But Michael didn’t always know that crunching numbers were his calling. Michael admits that “I sort of fell into accounting actually.” After working in restaurants and for an airline, a chance opportunity led him to be a data analyst and then an accounts payable clerk. Michael was bitten by the accounting bug and balanced the books for multiple corporations before launching his own business helping entrepreneurs just like him.

Faith also comes as a focus for Michael, and he uses both Christian principles and accounting guidelines to steer his business forward.

“Our primary objective is that no matter how much we grow internally we will always maintain the small business spirit and minister to each client. As a Christian business owner, it’s extremely important that we witness and minister to our clients. This means showing grace and compassion always, operating with the highest of ethical integrity, and sharing the love of Christ through the work and support we provide.”

Both the personal attention and the size of Bean Counter 4 Hire allows Michael and his team to provide personalized attention to each client while staying up to date on the latest innovations. “Thanks to social media, and the internet in general, it’s actually become a daily ritual for me to keep up with market trends; new business tactics and methods, as well as having a great interest in digital marketing which all contribute to my ability to keep up with the business world of today.”

Empowering Small Business

Michael uses technology to his advantage to bring his clients the best and the latest information to help their businesses. “Fortunately, there are limitless opportunities for new business and product offerings as we have created our company to operate and function using the most innovative technologies. As the technology world grows it helps businesses like ours offer more and more value to our clients. By embracing these technologies we are able to empower and provide our clients with the best possible tools and resources to help them run as efficiently and productively as possible.”

Merging both his entrepreneurial spirit with his accounting know-how, Michael provides a distinctive offering for small businesses looking for financial fixes.

“A unique thing we bring to the table is our ingenuity and innovative approach to supporting business as well as our small business and entrepreneurial spirit. We can relate to our clients, their struggles, and their passion for being their best.”

And, best of all, Michael loves what he does. “The thing I most enjoy about my job is connecting with all sorts of people that have all sorts of problems and providing innovative and creative solutions. Additionally, I enjoy running my own business as it’s extremely fulfilling to be the boss and have the ability to be creative and make decisions along with having the ability to work from home and spend more time with my family.”

Thanks to Michael Levy, bookkeeping is alive and well. Find out more about Bean Counter 4 Hire at BEANCOUNTER4HIRE.com.